WriterFreak001:

Just to let you know, after this chapter, updates might be a tiny bit slower because I have an idea for a one-shot I want to write BEFORE the sixteenth episode premieres on the 9th of February. I know I have plenty of time to get it done, but I'd rather do it right than rush the one-shot. :)

FUN FACT:

The stargazing in the last chapter – those aren't just random stars I threw in there. I literally looked up what the night sky would look like in LA with a computer program I have called Stellarium. The program is free if you want to download it for yourself; then, maybe you'll be able to see what I was seeing on the program. If people want, I can take a snapshot of what I was describing and then post it on my Tumblr page. It's up to you. :)

Anyway, thank you for the reviews so far! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! :D

Title | Mind Games

Fandom | Scorpion (CBS)

Description | Post-Deception. Four months passed since the ending of "Deception," and it seemed as though life, for the most part, returned to normal for Team Scorpion. Walter and Paige were given a chance to focus on their relationship in the midst of all of the cases that were assigned to the team. However, eventually, all great things must end, and once again, Team Scorpion will have to deal with an even bigger opponent than the Leviathan Mafia. Mark Collins is back for revenge and will have something big in store for Walter – something even the 197 IQ genius might not be able to see coming. And Collins's return just might cause a rift within the Scorpion family in the process, making it next to impossible for them to beat his ultimate game.

Rating| This fanfiction will be rated T for violence, obscene language, sexual themes as well as brain stuff and fluff.

POV | Limited Third Person

Disclaimer | While CBS owns Scorpion, I am the owner of this masterpiece.

Claimer | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

Mind Games

Sequel to Deception

Written by WriterFreak001

Chapter 5

~ SCORPION ~

As Paige slept soundly in Walter's arms, he couldn't help but wonder how his life had turned out to be so blessed since Paige and Ralph entered his life. He might not believe in God or any other deity, but he would be a fool if he didn't count the woman curled up against him and the boy he had grown to adore as blessings. He hardly deserved to live a happy life, but he believed it was okay to be selfish every once in a while – especially if it meant keeping the things he held dear in his life from vanishing. He could get used to waking up every morning with Paige peacefully sleeping within his arms; even though it was sometimes hard to process the emotions he felt whenever he was with Paige, he knew that the feelings he did feel were good ones. And sometimes, that was enough for him to live by.

He spent several minutes listening to her slow breaths as they tickled the hairs on his chest, and the longer he watched her sleep, the more he realized that humanity wasn't always a weakness. It was often a strength, too. Sometimes both at the same time.

While Walter reached over to his bedside table to check the time, Paige stretched against him and then mumbled a soft good morning as she feathered a trail of kisses along his collarbone. When he turned to face her, she greeted him with a short, chaste kiss. As she pulled away, she reached over him and checked the time on his phone.

"If you wanted to know what the time was, you could have asked." Walter said as Paige relaxed against him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

She laughed and gave him another short kiss. "Oh, but it's much more fun," she whispered into his ear, "feeling my body press against yours."

Walter's ears burned in response, but before he could think of something to say, Paige pulled him into a heated kiss. Minutes passed before either one of them was ready to leave the bed, but as the sun slowly seeped through the curtains, they knew they would have to get ready for the day sometime. Paige was the first to slide off of the bed. She grabbed Walter's hand and led him to the bathroom. Most mornings, since the first time he and Paige had slept together, they would share the shower too. While Paige had seen it as a romantic way to start the morning, Walter saw it as more efficient. He thought it was a waste of water to shower separately in the morning when both of them normally woke up without any clothing anyway. Even if it was efficient in Walter's opinion, he couldn't deny the fact that he enjoyed the romantic aspect of it too.

As Paige turned on the water, Walter remembered the first morning Paige had convinced him to join her in the shower. They had shared their first romantic night together, and while Walter had been perfectly content with the idea of showering after her, she rubbed his favorite term, efficient, in his face, giving him a compelling argument – something his intellectual mind couldn't refuse. Showering for the first time had been very awkward for both of them, but, like every other romantic endeavor they had pursued, the awkwardness died away in intervals. Now, it was as normal to Walter as wearing a tie every single day, and he liked the fact that it was something built into his routine.

Being with Paige in every single way had become a part of his lifestyle, and it wasn't something he would ever want to sever himself from. She was his constant, and constants never die nor fade from existence. They transcend time, and because of Paige, he believed there was a reason she and Ralph were placed into his life. At first, he thought her employment was to benefit the team, and while she certainly did benefit the team in her own, unique way, he was beginning to understand that Paige's role in Scorpion was much more than serving as the translator for the team, but for him as well. In some ways, Paige had translated the world to Walter on a more intimate level than she did for the team, but if she could help him understand the world in a different light, then ultimately, she was also helping the team.

"See something you like?" Paige smiled as she caught him staring at her soft skin.

Walter shook his thoughts away. "No, um, I was just thinking."

"Come on, Mr. O'Brien," she winked as she pulled him into the shower. The warm water pelted against their bodies as she hooked her arms around his neck and pressed her lips gently against his. Then she pulled away slightly, wrapped her legs around his waist and whispered, "The soap can't apply itself," as she then pointed to her body wash.

"Due to our current, um, our compromising position," his palms slid downwards to support her weight against him, "soap is most likely the last thing on your mind, Paige."

"You read me so well," Paige laughed, rubbed her nose against his and then pulled him into a deep kiss. As Paige's lips tantalized his wet skin, he couldn't help but think about all of the water they were wasting. And then Paige started to claw at his back as her lips found his again. "Just let go," she whispered against his ear before he felt her tongue swipe across the sensitive area just under. His eyes rolled upwards in response to the stimulus; as she continued to fuel his arousal, he gave in to her sexual ploy and trapped her against the shower wall before kissing her hard on the mouth. Paige pulled back slightly and smiled wickedly. "Now that's more like it."

Those words were all he needed to hear to lose control completely.

Efficiency would just have to wait a while longer.

~ SCORPION ~

By the time Walter and Paige forced themselves to get ready for the day and venture down to the lower level, it was close to ten in the morning, and the rest of the team was scattered about the garage, working on their own projects. Toby was reading, as usual. Happy was cleaning her motorcycle, and Sylvester was at his chalkboard. Cabe and Ralph were nowhere to be found. Walter assumed Cabe had taken the boy out for breakfast and would bring him back later.

"I was beginning to wonder if the two of you drowned up there," Toby chuckled as he looked up from his books. "That was an awfully long shower the two of you were taking."

Sylvester's eyes popped open and stared at Walter and Paige. "Wait…. You two…shower together? As in… together – together?!"

"That's what happens when you're in a sexual relationship, Sly." Happy said as she approached everyone and wiped the grease off of her eyebrow.

"Yeah," Toby smirked, "And by the length of time the shower was running, I assume the two of you did the nasty, cleaned up and did the nasty again. Or maybe you cleaned up and spent the rest of the shower time making hot sweet love in the tub."

As flustered as Paige was, Walter was annoyed with Toby's psychoanalysis – as always, but the reaction that caught the shrink's attention was Sylvester's. His eyes were wide, his mouth was agape and he was rendered speechless. Toby burst out laughing as Happy gave him a high-five. Finally, the human calculator spoke. "So..., you're saying…," Sylvester paused as he squirted Germ-X into his hands and rubbed them together and then looked at Toby, "that Walter and Paige could be…covered in s—"

"Okaaay," Paige finally said something, "I think we're done here." She looked at Sylvester. "I assure you, Sylvester, the only thing dirty in this garage is Toby's mouth."

"Hell, I could have told Sly that!" Happy smirked as she folded her arms in front of her.

Paige glared at Toby and then walked over to Sylvester's desk to give herself some Germ-X. She rubbed her hands together and raised an eyebrow as Sylvester wiped the pump off with an antibacterial wipe. "Really?"

"Better safe than sorry." Sylvester said and then walked over to the stairs to start cleaning the rail.

"Come onnnn," Toby stretched as he circled around his desk and walked up to Walter and Paige. "I'm just having some fun."

"Another reason why you need to get laid." Happy said as she strutted to her desk.

"And I told you last night, Happy!" Toby hollered across the room, "Sex can't happen by itself!"

"Masturbation can." Happy deadpanned as she collected some of her tools and walked over to her workspace.

Toby grinned. "Are you admitting that you think dirty thoughts of me, Happy? I'm flattered!"

"What?!" Happy stopped what she was doing and stared at the shrink as Walter and Paige watched the exchange between the two geniuses. "No! Gross!"

"Oh, admit it!" Toby winked. Then his face paled when she walked towards him with a chainsaw in her arms. "T-that's not for me, is it?"

"If you continue to piss me off, I might just accidentally turn it on and let it slip from my fingers." Happy frowned as she circled back around to her workspace and placed the chainsaw into a cubby. "I'm heading out. Don't follow." She fumed as she marched out the door.

Toby gulped. "W-what just happened?"

Paige smirked. "She laid down the law."

Walter, however, couldn't really make sense of it either.

"As much as I know about the human psyche," Toby muttered, "I'll never begin to understand that feisty woman."

"If you rely on your psychoanalyses to understand Happy, you never will." Paige replied as she grabbed her purse.

"You haven't known Happy for as long as I have," Toby folded his arms in front of him, challenging Paige to elaborate.

"No. I haven't," Paige frowned. "But assume I know a little bit about being a woman," Paige folded her arms in front of her and approached Toby's desk with Walter in tow.

"You have me intrigued. Go on." Toby raised an eyebrow.

"Not to sound rude or anything, but when you psychoanalyze people, Toby, you're invading personal boundaries. It's fine when you're profiling people for cases, but when you're with your friends? You might want to dial it down a bit; some people don't like being exploited – especially women. Obviously, psychoanalyzing Happy isn't getting you anywhere. Perhaps you should try treating her like a genuine person instead of teasing her – women, even badass ones like Happy, don't like being teased." Before Toby could say anything, Paige grabbed Walter's hand and headed for the door to get the breakfast they had planned to pick up.

~ SCORPION ~

Mark Collins sat in the back of the diner where Walter and the replacement were eating their breakfast. In order to successfully follow the inseparable pair, Mark Collins had shaved off his beard, started wearing contacts and dressed in casual clothes so he could appear like an average Joe. He grimaced as he watched Walter squeeze the replacement's hand underneath the table, smile at her and steal kisses while they were waiting for their food. The Walter O'Brien he knew would have never displayed certain levels of affection in public. The Walter he knew didn't believe in love, only facts. And yet, the replacement was proof that Walter O'Brien had been always capable of EQ; that was the one thing which separated Mark and Walter. Even though Mark's IQ was not as high as Walter's, he understood that emotions were weaknesses. Humanity was a weakness. Normalcy was an abomination. Walter, however, did care for some things – like his sister, Megan. And his team. And the willingness to help others. While Mark Collins wanted nothing more than to keep his intellect to himself, Walter sought to share his with others – and that was Walter's flaw.

Once, Mark had almost compelled Walter into believing that nothing in the world but facts and figures existed – that he was free to use his intellect as he pleased and would never have to be exploited by intellectual inferiors. Walter almost bought into the reality Collins had created until his friends managed to find a way to destroy it. And then Walter had Mark committed to a psychiatric facility.

As much as Mark Collins wanted to hate Walter O'Brien for committing him, he was grateful for the time he spent in the loony bin. His time in the psych ward made him realize how incompetent people truly were – especially Walter. If Walter believed that Scorpion was making a difference in the world, Mark Collins was going to find a way to destroy Walter's confidence in the team – even if it meant permanently removing someone the 197 IQ genius cared about.

He followed Walter and the replacement back to the garage where they were the only ones home at the time. Mark Collins made his way to the roof of the building across the street from the Scorpion garage and pulled out his binoculars. He saw shadows through the windows hastily making their way up the stairs. He did not expect them to make their way to the roof. He was disgusted with the way Walter pressed his body up against the replacement, trapping her against the bricked wall around the corner from the door. As the vixen pushed her tongue down Walter's throat, the way the genius's palms fondled the woman's clothed breasts and thrust his groin against her pelvis sickened Mark to no end.

Paige Dineen was becoming a distraction for Walter O'Brien. She impaired Walter's judgment and hindered the man from going to greatness. Walter could be great if he accepted and embraced the Rabbit Hole. Paige was becoming a nuisance, and she needed to be dealt with.

And soon.

One way or another, Walter O'Brien will fall down the Rabbit Hole again – and the next time he does, there would be no escape.

~ SCORPION ~

WriterFreak001:

I know this chapter was shorter than the last one, but I thought the Collins section would be a good place to stop. Also, as weird as it sounds, I had fun writing for Mark Collins. He's a devious character so it was great trying to see Walter and Paige from his own perspective. I intentionally made what Collins witnessed on the roof sound dirty because Collins is a dirty person – basically, he would see things for what they were to him – therefore, he would think like that too.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter; I know a lot didn't happen in it, but it gets the story going. :) The next chapter should have more in it.

Please review! :)